bizzybizzybizzy
Blogging on this channel has been somewhat lighter than normal over the past couple of weeks. I've been very very busy. So some updates are in order.
First, I've created a new politically-oriented website, radicalpolYtics.org. The goal of the site runs something like this:
We are dedicated to those who question the current state of politics in America and in the world. We are not dedicated to any one particular viewpoint, however we do recognize that alternatives to the party lines in the mass media are necessary. These two party lines are so overexposed, many people don't realize that there many alternatives out there. The purpose of this site is to provide reading and listening material that involve these political alternatives.
We are radical in the mathematical sense; we look to get to the root issues that define politics today. And we are poly in the sense that we look at the many paths through the forest.
Our plan is to host a dynamic archive of articles and audio recordings in the furtherance of alternative political dialogue in America and in the world.
Related to this new site is some typesetting work I've been doing, helping to format various texts for publication in various media. One huge benefit of all this is that it looks like I'll finally be able to purchase a laptop computer, so researching this has also taken up some time. I'm very much a computer geek; I've built several desktop computers and have no trouble installing operating systems, etc., but I've never really worked with a laptop before. There are some issues
running Linux on laptops, most notably getting the winmodems to work, getting the power management features (ACPI or APM) to work, and then the normal sound/video issues that still lurk in the background of any Linux installation.
So among my tasks has been seeing what's involved in running Linux on laptops, though my preferred Linux distro is a LiveCD so I can just insert the CD into the laptop, boot directly from the CD, and get a working Linux desktop within minutes. This will be a great test for the new system, as any config problems will reveal themselves quickly.
Ideally, then, I'd find a local dealer and try everything from the laptop before purchase. However, prices are typically much cheaper online. I've also been considering getting a used laptop to save some money. But, with some various discounts that are available to me, it may be just as cheap to get a new one.
More research is necessary, but my laptop budget won't land in my lap for another week or two. By the time I have the cash, I will hopefully know just what I want to get.
In other news, this will be a big week for the Freakwitch album. Matt and I have booked out 2 solid days this week, where the kids are with other people, so he and I can just focus on getting some solid guitar and vocal tracks recorded. I'm very much looking forward to it. With any luck, I'll have some oggs up for your listening pleasure in about 10 days.
virtual recreation?
Maybe this guy will make millions. Look what he's planning in
The Wire: the next world. Basically, ultimate gaming salons with geeked-out gear and spherical screens. Pretty cool.
Caliban and the Witch
I'm still reading
Caliban and the Witch. It's a bit slow going because a) I'm really busy right now; and b) it's a very detailed analysis of the objectification of bodies and their subsequent exploitation at the dawn of capitalism. Kind of a dry topic for many of us. But it's important in several ways.
First, for as many witches (freaky or otherwise) out there, and especially for as many politically aware and active witches that are out there, this book is essential. We must know our history.
Secondly, this book reinforces the idea that capitalism did not come out of nowhere. There are centuries of bloodshed, torture, war, oppression, repression, persecution, injustice, colonialism, imperialism, racism, sexism, and all the rest that go bundled with the rise and sustenance of capitalism. This is important to remember. Despite any good that has come from capitalism, these details of capitalism's legacy of violence must not be forgotten.
If you are interested in learning more about why things are the way they are, if the election of 2004 disillusioned you in any way, if you are asking "Anybody But Bush didn't work; now what?" then I would urge you to check this out. It might take you to a place where you can begin to build answers to these most fundamental questions.
Intellectual Property Protection Act
It looks like the next phase of legal code for advancing the
Virtual Enclosures is in the works.
This article by Eric Hellweg explains the new "Intellectual Property Act[IPPA]" that is in the legal pipeline. Apparently under this new act, fast-forwarding through recorded commercials would be illegal, and p2p networks would become illegal.
Now, speaking as an artist, I find this utterly objectionable. Because some corporations who represent artists don't want p2p around, then I as an independent artist would be deprived of my main avenue for finding my audience. This is just wrong.
Look at the language used by an RIAA spokesperson:
"We certainly support it," says Jonathan Lamy, spokesperson for the RIAA. "It includes a number of things to strengthen the hand of law enforcement to combat piracy. Intellectual property theft is a national security crime. It's appropriate that the fed dedicate resources to deter and prosecute IP theft."
The "War On Nouns" mindset is leaking: we need to "combat" "piracy" for national security. Amazing.
For more information on the IPPA, look on the Public Knowledge site.
Fallujah 101
This article has been going around;
a necessary read.
writing, and primitive accumulation
Not much going on here. Had a fruitful day in the studio last night. I'm really pleased with the recorded sounds my new gear is producing. Yay.
I'm also working on a longer article, sort of summarizing and extending some of the random political thoughts I've expressed here. When it's done I'll link to it. Watch this space.
I'm still reading Caliban and the Witch. It's very good; like any good Marxist Federici really takes things from a class perspective, painting a nice picture of the serfs and their struggles in the transition to capitalist economy. I may post a more detailed review in due course, but this book strikes me as being very important on my levels.
Chief Justice Ashcroft?
Gads, I hope not. But after his
resignation as attorney general, perhaps he's gearing up for the impending Supreme Court appointments...
Caliban and the Witch
I just got a copy of
Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici. I've just begun it, but from the back cover:
Caliban and the Witch is a history of the body in the transition to capitalism. Moving from the peasant revolts of the late Middle Ages to the witch-hunts and the rise of mechanical philosophy, Federici investigates the capitalist rationalization of social reproduction. She shows how the battle against the rebel body and the conflict between body and mind are essential conditions for the development of labor power and self-ownership, two central principles of modern social organization.
Federici is a noted Marxist and Feminist scholar. She has also written several articles with George Caffentzis and the
Midnight Notes Collective. Thus far it seems to be similar in scope to
Carolyn Merchant's book,
The Death of Nature.
I'll report back after I'm further into the book.
sorryeverybody.com
A
message to the world. Some of the
photos are very good.
Electile Dysfunction
Well, there seems to be
plenty
of
evidence
that
the
election
results
are
tainted. The question is, how bad is the problem? Note that this is a very different question from "were the results tainted?" It is clear that they are. The only question is the extent of the tampering. One observation that has been made elsewhere: it seems that every voting discrepancy is in favor of the BuShites. What does that say? I have no reason to believe that this "election" is genuine, or that the BuShites have, as they are claiming, a "mandate" from the American people.
If you steal the election, you have committed a coup d'etat. Of course, we learned this in 2000. My country has indeed left me.
Fortress America?
This article has much food for thought:
After September 11, America basically wrote off the rest of the world as a reliable partner. The ultimate goal was no longer the Fukuyama utopia of expanding universal liberal democracy, but the transformation of the United States into "Fortress America," a lone superpower isolated from the rest of the world, protecting its vital economic interests and securing its safety through its new military power. This new military not only includes forces for rapid deployment anywhere on the globe, but also the development of space weapons that enable the Pentagon to control the global surface from above. This strategy throws a new light on the recent conflicts between the United States and Europe: It is not Europe that is "betraying" the United States. The United States no longer needs to rely on its exclusive partnership with Europe. In short, Bush's America pretends to be a new global empire but it is not. Rather, it remains a nation-state ruthlessly pursuing its interests. It is as if U.S. politics is now being guided by a weird reversal of the ecologists' well-known motto: Act globally, think locally.
Within these coordinates, every progressive who thinks should be glad for Bush's victory. It is good for the entire world because the contours of the confrontations to come will now be drawn in a much starker way. A Kerry victory would have been a kind of historical anomaly, blurring the true lines of division. After all, Kerry did not have a global vision that would present a feasible alternative to Bush's politics.
I'm beginning to see that the Democratic party is doomed. If a Kerry victory would have been a historical anomaly, then one must conclude that the Clinton years, and the Carter years, were also anomalies, mere distractions from the aggressive forward advancing of the neoliberal agenda in place since the mid-70s. If you examine the past 30 years, each Republican regime pushed the line, and each Democrat regime held the line where it had been drawn. Almost a collective good cop, bad cop act.
It seems to me that until the Democrats rebel against the neoliberal status quo, and embrace real, progressive, even radical agendas, they will be nothing more than the whipping boy of the neocons. The "election results" from Tuesday only reinforce this notion.
Terrorizing Dissent
I've just been reading
Terrorising Dissent: the Neoliberal 'Anti-terrorist' Strategy. In light of the BuShite's seizure and consolidation of power in the US this week, articles like this will become more and more important. From the abstract:
How does political protest become terrorism? Answer: whenever governments say that it is. They increasingly do so because capitalism has no alternative to neoliberal globalization and new enclosures. This agenda can be imposed only by terrorizing dissent -- in the name of protecting the public from terrorism, of course. In this way, 'counter-terrorism' is redefining or even replacing politics. As this article argues, effective resistance becomes inseparable from a struggle against new enclosures and for new commons.
This notion that
anyone who is against the aggressive tactics of the neocons will be labelled a Terrorist™ is the
sine qua non of understanding the BuShite worldview. "You're either with us, or you're with The Terrorists™" is the embodiment of this policy; it means that there can be no resistance or disagreement with BuShite politics. Look at the logic of the BuShites:
- They say that The Terrorists™ are Evil™, and need to be defeated, destroyed, and killed through violent means, up to and including outright warfare.
- They also say that if you are not with them, then you are with The Terrorists™.
- Therefore, if you disagree with the BuShites, you need to be defeated, destroyed, and killed through violent means, up to and including outright warfare.
This is simple logic, and it exposes the dangers of the BuShite policy in a most elementary way. Nothing is open to negotiation. Nothing is open to discussion. The BuShites will not admit to even the possibility that they are wrong, and they are in command of the largest military machine in the history of the planet. Does anyone else find this worrisome? Is it any wonder that rational, sane political dialogue in this country is all but impossible?
Apparently, the 59 million people who allegedly Voted™ for Bush don't see this. What concerns me is that, as I said, this is elementary logic. What does that say about the American people, or at least 59 million (about 20%...hardly the majority mandate claimed by the BuShites) of them? I'm not sure I can use "us," even though I am part of the American people. The American people are deeply divided right now, with tens of millions of people on each "side." If this were any country other than the richest, most comfortable country in the world, I believe we'd already be in a civil war.
Perhaps we are, with The BuShites shaping it as Good Americans™ vs. The Terrorists™.
an important voice on the election
Greg Palast has been on top of election fraud since the 2000 election. He has a new article out, called
Kerry won ... In the article, he outlines the now-familiar pattern of voter fraud, specifically in Ohio and New Mexico. But perhaps the most salient observation is the last paragraph:
I used to write a column for the Guardian papers in London. Several friends have asked me if I will again leave the country. In light of the failure -- a second time -- to count all the votes, that won't be necessary. My country has left me.
Brilliant. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't considered leaving the country since the election. The
European Union is looking particularly good; this interview suggests that the EU is becoming the next superpower, being a larger market with a larger population than the US. Additionally, they tend to spend their government funds on social services rather than an ultra-high military budget, thus providing some stability. I really believe that America's days as a superpower -- let alone the only superpower -- are numbered.
disenfranchised
Well, I voted yesterday. Kerry took Maine. Cobb got less than 1%.
I voted, but I feel disenfranchised. The establishment would tell me that I'm contradicting myself here. After all, I voted; by definition my voice was counted.
However, voting has nothing to do with my voice, unless I learn to say "Bush" or "Kerry". My own ideas and desires for an American political reality were nowhere on any ballot I saw, with the possible exception of several Green candidates for local offices (they averaged about 10% of the vote, except for John Eder, who was re-elected despite some pathetic attempt at Gerrymandering by the Democrats and Republicans).
This can be nothing but Disenfranchisement. My voice is not among those who will be heard.
recursion
"We're gonna hunt him down, and kill him. He's a murderer."
--General Wesley Clark on Osama Bin Laden,
Real Time with Bill Maher, Halloween 2004
